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REPEATER.

No. 445,797. Patented Feb. 3, 18 91.

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F. W. COLE. REPEATER.

No. 445,797. Patented Feb. 3,1891.

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(No Model.)

F. W. COLE.

REPEATER.

Patented Feb. 3,1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

FREDERICK V. COLE, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO MOSES G. CRANE, OF SAME PLACE.

REPEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,797, dated February 3, 1891.

Application filed April 12, 1890.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK XV. COLE, of Newton, county of Middlesex, State of l\:[assachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Repeaters, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to a telegraph repeater by which signals or messages produced by current changes in one circuit cause similar current changes to be made in other circuits disconnected from the first-mentioned one, thus repeatingthe signal or message into the other circuits. The apparatus is so constructed that a message produced in one circuit may be repeated into any required number of other circuits and all the said circuits are mutually dependent one upon the other, any one being capable of acting as the transmitting-circuit, or the one in which the message is originally produced, while the others for the time being are receiving or repeating circuits, in which the message produced in the original circuitis received or transmitted to receiving-instruments located in said circuits. It is necessary for the proper operation of an apparatus of this kind that when a message is begun in one of said circuits it cannot be interrupted by a message that might be begun in any of the other circuits. This result is effected in accordance with the present invention by the following means: Each of the main circuits in which a message can be originally produced or repeated from one of the other circuits contains a main-re lay magnet which responds to messages originally produced in that circuit, and the armature of which controls a local circuit containing electro-magnets, one corresponding to each main circuit, the armatures of which control their corresponding main circuits, opening the said main circuits when the armatures are retracted and closing them when the said armatures are-attracted. For convenience the two electro-magnets corresponding to each main circuit will be called the main relay and the local relay, the former having its coils in the corresponding main circuit and the armature ot' the latter Serial No. 347,692. (No model.)

constitutinga key or circuit-controller that governs the said main circuit. The armatures of the said main and local relays are arranged in definite mechanical relation to one another and are provided with circuitcontrolling contacts, which have a different relation to one another according as the main or local relay armature moves first.

The invention is shown embodied in an apparatus in which both circuits are normally closed and the relay-armatures normally attracted, and for convenience the operation will be described throughout as depending upon this arrangement; but such arrange ment is not essential. and the apparatus may be arranged,if desired, to operate in connection with normally-open main or local circuits, or both. The local relays are all included in a single local circuit in series with one another, so that breaking said local circuit demagnetizes all said relays except the one corresponding to the main circuit originally operated, which is prevented from being demagnetized by means of a local branch including onlythis one magnet, which branch is closed by the main relay at the same time that it breaks the local circuit for all the other local-relay magnets. may be attained by dividing the battery of the local-relay circuit into as many sections as there are local relays, each local branch just referred to containing the corresponding section of the battery, so that the said branch may be closed and retain the corresponding magnet energized, while the local circuit outside the said branch is open for demagnetizing the other local relays. Thus when one main circuit is broken at the beginningof the message originally transmitted therein its main-relay armature is retractedand in its.

retractive movement it first closes the local branch of its own relay and then breaks the local-relay circuit. Thus its own local-relay armature is not affected, but all the other local-relay armatures are retracted and in such movement break their corresponding main circuits, and thus repeat the break from the circuit in which it was originally produced. Although these successive operations follow as quickly as an armature can respond to a current change, it will be seen that in the re- This result peating-eireuits the local-relay armature is retracted first-that is, before the main-relay armature, which responds to the break in the main circuit produced by the local-relay armature. This change of relative position of the armatu res prevents the repeating-circuits from closing the local branches for their local relays, so that the latter remain under control of the main relay, which was first operated. \Vhen the main circuit of the latter is again closed, it closes the local-relay circuits, first restoring the corresponding local-relay armatures to their normal position, and they in turn closing their main circuits, and thus repeating the closure into their main circuits. Unless means were provided to prevent such action the main-relay armatures in the repeating-circuits would respond to the closures produced by the corresponding local-relay armature, as just described, and with certain kinds of messages the main-relay arn'iatures in the repeating-circuits maybe permitted to respond to the messages repeated in them; but with messages of certain character such operation would be objectionable, as it might cause interference between two signals, and appliances are provided in accordance with this invention by which the main-relay armatures, when first retracted in response to a message repeated into their circuits from some other circuit connected with the repeater, close a shunt around the corresponding mainrelay coils until the message that is repeated into the said circuits is finished, when said shunt is opened and all parts returned to their normal condition. Means are also provided for closing the local circuit at a given relay after it has been opened for a predetermined time slightly greater than the maximum time of opening forming part of a regular message, so that in case one line becomes broken it will not also disable all the other lines.

Figure 1 is aplan view of the main and local relay-magnets correspondingto one main circuit with the parts in normal condition; Fig

2,a side elevation of a portion of the appa-' ratus by which the local circuit is restored to normal condition if one of the main lines remains open for more than a predetermined interval of time; Fig. 3, a front elevation of the instrument shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a detail thereof; Fig. 5, a front view of the relays shown in Fig. 1; Fig. (5, a detail illustrating a modified construction of the devices operated by the main and local relay armatures; and Fig. 7, a diagram showingthe circuit-connections and illustrating the operation when one relay is responding to a signal in its main circuit and. the corresponding signal is being repeated at the other circuit, two only of the main circuits being shown in diagram, which are marked CircuitNo. 1 and Circuit No. 2, and are represented in the condition as sumed when a message is being originally transmitted in circuit No. 1 and repeated in circuit No. 2.

The main relay a and local relay Z) are mounted on the same frame-work, so that their respective armatu res (6 Rare in definite relation to one another, being pivoted at a" and b respectwely, and acted upon by the usual retractors and provided with the usual stops to limit their movement toward and from the poles of the magnet. The armaturelever a of the main relay has rigidly fixed upon it a block or carrierc, of insulating material, extended so that its end stands near a similar block or carrier (Z, of insulating material, connected with the local relay-armature L The said carrierc of the main-relay armature is provided with con tact-springs e 0", normally pressed into contact with one another by their elasticity and constituting a circuit-closer. in a local circuit 2 3 4 2 34, which includes the coils of all the local relays Z), the said circuit-closers c e and local-relay magnets Z), correspondingto several main circuits, being all in series with one another in the said local circuit 2 3 4 2 3 4, as shown in Fig. 7. The spring 0 of said circuit-closer projects just beyond a spring f, mounted on the carrier (2 of the corresponding local-relay armature b in such position thatif the mainrelay armature is retracted while the localrelay armature remains attracted the spring 6 comes in contact with the spring f, making electrical connection therewith, and is then pried away from the spring (2 in the further retractive movement of said armature. thus opening the local circuit 2 3 4 2 3 4, as shown at circuit No. 1, Fig. 7, and demagnetizing the relays therein, permitting their armatures to be retracted, with the exception of the one corresponding to the main circuit, which has been opened as just stated, which local-relay magnet is prevented from being demagnetized as follows: The battery in the local circuit 2 3 4 is divided, a portion 13 being included near each relay-magnet I), and a connection is made by wire 5 6 with the spring f, carried by the armature b of the local-relay magnet, includinga circuit-closer g on the restoring-instrument, (shown in Figs. 2 and 3,) the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained. The said circuit-closer g normally remains closed, so that the wire 5 (5 constitutes a branch from the local circuit between which and the magnet Z) the corresponding section B of the local battery is included. Thus the member 6 of the local-circuit closer carried by the mainrelay armature, and the contact fon the localrelay armature constitute a circuit-closer for the branch 5 (l, and when these members are brought into engagement by theretraction of the main-relay arn'iatu re while the local-relay armature remains attracted, as shown at circuit No. 1, Fig. 7, the said branch is closed, making a circuit for the corresponding magnet I) and adjacent section B of the local-circuit battery, which retains said magnet 12 energized and prevents its armature from moving. lVhen, however, the local circuit is broken at 0 6- as just described, in the normal operation, by the response of one main relay to a break in its circuit, all other main circuits will be closed, and consequently when the 10- cal-relay armatures are retracted in response to the said break in the local circuit they carry their springs f out of range of the mem-' the local-relay armatures are retracted, as previously described, upon the opening of one of the circuit-closers e 6 their corresponding main lines are open ed, thus repeating in the said lines the break that operated the main relay in the circuit in which the message was first begun. The main-relay armatures in the repeating circuits will consequently be retracted; but as the springs f, carried by their local armatures, have been removed from the path of the member 6 of the local-circuit closer (see circuit No. 2,Fig. 7) the latter will not engage the said member f, and consequently will. not be opened, so that the local circuit will remain under control of the circuit-closer e'-at the main-relay armature which was first operated. Thus, while the first main circuit is broken at an external point, all other circuits are broken at the points I) b, and are consequently taken out of control of any external circuit-closer; but the main cir cuit which was first operated remains connected at 11 b and is consequently under control of the external circuit-closer shown in Fig. 7 as a break-wheel or transmitting device T.

\Vhen the main circuit first operated is closed at T, its main relay attracts its armature, closes the local circuit at 6 c and thus causes the other local-circuit armatures to be attracted, which will in turn close their main circuits at b if, thus repeating the circuit closure of the first circuit into the others. In this operation the springfwill come against the spring e; but it is sufficiently yielding to permit the local-relay armature to close its main circuit at Z) Z)", and the side of the spring f is provided with insulation f which prevents it from closing the local branch 5 6 in this return or attractive movement of the local-relay armature, while the main-relay armature is retracted.

Unless prevented by some means the mainrelay armatures would respond to the closures of their circuits at I)" If, and if a message were begun in another circuit after the first break in the circuitfirst operating the line in which the second message was begun would have two breaking-pomtsnamely, at its external transmitter and at b ti -and would probably be open at one or the other of these points nearly all the time, so that its main relay armature would not be acted upon at all, and it would be possible for the said second circuit to get control and transmit its own signal only by having its circuit closed at the external transmitter and again broken during the interval between the closure and break in the circuit first operating-a condition which could rarely occur, and be practically impossible if the closed intervals produced by the dififerent transmitters were of substantially the same time duration.

When the apparatus is to be used to repeat messages that are made up of circuit changes of difierent duration-as, for example, the dot and dash characters of the Morse alphabetit might happen that a signal of long duration-representing a dash, for example-. might occur in the circuit first operating, while a closure of shorter duration was made and completed by an external transmitter in some other circuit, in which case if the mainrelay armatures were permitted to respond to the open or closed condition of their main circuits, the one that broke first after a simultaneons closure in two circuits would obtain control of the repeater from that time on, so that under the condition just mentioned the second circuit would break into the message of the first. Means are provided for preventing such occurrence when the apparatus is used with circuits for transmitting messages having closures or impulses of different time duration, which appliances will be described later on, as their operation depends upon instrumentalities that will be next described, it being sufficient for the present to state that the effect of these appliances is to prevent the main-relay armatures in the repeating-circuits from responding to the closures produced in these circuits by their local-relay armatures, so that when they fall back in response to the first break at b N, as shown in circuit No. 2, Fig. 7, they remain retracted until the message is completed, the local-relay armature only moving in response to the circuit-closer e e of the main relay that is responding to its external transmitter.

The devices thus far described are suflicient to effect the repetition from one circuit into all others of any number of circuits, each having main and local relays connected and operated as just described, (whether the main relays respond to circuit-closures in the repeating circuit or not,) and it is obvious that any number of local relays can be included in one local circuit, and that they may in fact be placed at various points not necessarily at the same station, it being necessary onlythat they should be reached by the onelocal or intermediate circuit, through which the messages are repeated from any one main circuit into all the others. It will be seen, however, that if one of the main circuits should become permanently broken or disabled in any way so that its main-relay armature remained retracted, if there were'only the appliances thus far described the latter would retain the local circuit open at e c thus causing all the other local relays to be demagnetized and their main circuits to be opened at Zr b, so thatall ITO the circuits would be opened and disabled so, long as any one remained broken. In order to prevent this from happening, each of the local branches 5 6 passes through an independent circuit-closer g, one member of each of which circuit-closers is carried by a crossbar g (see Figs. 2 and 3,) connected with a rock-shaft g controlled by an eccentric portion 9 on a shaft g acted upon by a motortrain h 7L2 7L3 h 7L5 h, and provided with a detent-arm gflhaving a projection g co-operating with two projections g g on a co-operating detent-arm 1', which is pivoted loosely on .a shaft is and acted upon by a spring 11 tending to hold the said arm t against a stop-pin i on the frame-work, in which position the pins 9 and g engage. preventing rotation of the detent-arm g and eccentric g", or,in other words, preventing movement of the motor that operates the circuit-closers g. Thus as long as the detent 9% remains engaged no effect will be produced on the circuit-closers g; but if said detent be released the eccentric g will turn once around and open all the circuit-closers (,thus opening the branches 5 6 of all the local relays, including the one corresponding to the disabled main circuit, permitting the said local-relay armature to be retracted, in which movement the spring f will slip off from the end of the spring e,

permitting the latter to snap by its own elasticity into engagement with the corresponding spring 6 thus closing the local circuit and restoring all other local-relay armatures to their normal posit-ion. The local-relay armature of its circuit will also be attracted and the spring f will strike against the end of the spring 6; but itis sufficiently yielding to permit the local-relay armature to move far enough to close its main circuit at b b, so that as soon as said circuit is repaired externally it will immediately be in working condition. It will be seen, therefore, that it. is necessary only to control the detent-arm i in such manner that it shall release the detent after a circuithas remained broken foraperiod of time greater than that required for any break forming part of a message, and it should not open in a shorter time, as in that case it might interfere with a message that. was being transmitted. In order to effect this result with the least loss of time, the said detent-arm i is controlled by another motor-train than the one which operates the eccentric g, the said detent-operating train m m m" m m m", having an escape-wheel m and governor m controlling its speed of movement, and a detent 1 controlled, as will be hereinafter described, by the armature n of an electromagnet n, which may be included in the local circuit 2 3 a 2 3 tot the local relays I), and thus responds to every break in said local circuit produced by the circuit-breaker e c of one of the main-relay armatures. The detent 11 is disengaged when the armature n is retracted, and is so constructed, as will be hereinafter described, as to require a short time to come into engagement again after the armature is attracted, said time required for reengagement being longer than the longest period that the magnet remains energized during the transmission of a signal, so that the motor last described, which may be called the detent-motor, is permitted to run as long as the local circut remains open, but is stopped a short time after the local circuitis closed, and remains arrested as long as the said circuit remains closed. The detent-arm t' is loose on the shaft 7t of one of the wheels m of said train, and has what may be called a time-connection therewith; or, in other words, is engaged and moved by said motor only after the armature n has remained retracted for a predetermined time, the said interval having to elapse after each time that the armature is retracted before the detentarm can be engaged and moved. This timed engagement is produced by the following means. The shaft 7t has a toothed wheel 19 loose upon it and acted upon by a light spring 19 (see Fig. 4,) tending to turn. it in the same direction that the train-wheel m is turning, tendin g to keep its stop-pin p in its forward position against the notched flange fixed to wheel m The said wheel 17 co-operates with a dog 7', connected with the armature-lever n of the armature n by a link 11 so as to be thrown into engagement with the said wheel p each time that the armature is retracted. The dog r is also connected at r with the detent-arm i, and the wheel 1), acted upon by its light spring 19 tends to move the said detent-arm t' in the direction to disengage the detent; but the said light spring 19 is not sufficientlystiii to overcome the stronger spring t acting on the detent-arm, so that, instead of the wheel 29 turning forward with the train-wheel m it it is arrested by the dog r. The said wheel 1) has, however, at the proper time a positive engagement with the detenttrain, one of the wheels'of which, as m is provided with a notched flange, the ends of which" constitute two projections or shoulders 23 19, that co-operate with the stop-pin p of the wheel 1). The spacing of these shoulders is such that the wheel 17 has a limited movement independent of the train-wheel m at the end of which it is positively engaged by the said train-wheel, and the action of the spring p tends to hold the wheel 19 when free in the most forward position with relation to the movement of the wheel m and to throw it into such forward position the moment it is released by the dog 0'. Thus if the dog '1' is disengaged from the wheel 1) at any time while the shoulders 17. f are disengaged the wheel 1) will immediately be thrown into its most forward position; but if the said wheel 19 be arrested long enough by said dog 0 it will finally be positively engaged by the shoulder p of the train-wheel m tending to carry it in the same direction as the train-wheel, and

the train is actuated by power sufficient to overcome the spring 2' that acts on the detent-arm, so that when such positive engagement occurs the adjacent detent-arm will be carried with the train-wheel m and will release the detent. ,It is necessary, therefore, only to make the distance between the two engaging points between the wheels 1) and m such that the time occupied by the wheel m in moving through said space shall be of greater duration than the largest break forming part of a message, and if so the wheel 19 and detent-arm will never be positively engaged and operated during the transmission of a message; but if one of the main circuits remains open longer than any interval required in the transmission of a message the said detent'arm will shortly after be engaged and operated to release the circuit-breaker actuating-motor, which will eifect the opening of the closed branch of the local circuit and the consequent closure of the local circuit, as before described.

The two trains of Wheel-work or motors thus far describednamely, the first to operate the circuit-closers and the second tooperate the detentfor the first-might be entirely independent of one another, except as one controls the detent for the other; but for convenience they are shown in this instance as actuated by one and the same mainspring as follows: The wheel m of the detent-train is connected with the m ainspring-barrel t, which isloose on the winding-shaft- B, one end of said spring being connected with the said winding-shaft and tending to turn it in the direction of the arrow marked on the wheel 71, Fig. 2, while the other end is connected with the barrel and wheel m, tending to turn it in the direction of the arrow thereon, Fig. 2. The said windingshaft t is provided with a ratchet t fixed upon it and engaging with a pawl t on the driving-wheel h of the other train, which wheel is loose on the said winding-shaf t 25 Thus, while one end of the spring tends to turn the barrel and wheel m in the direction of the arrow thereon, the other end of the spring, which is connected with the windingshaft t tends to turn the said shaft in the opposite direction, and through the ratchett and pawl 75" also tend to turn the driving-wheel 7b of the other train in the op posite direction, and although both trains are thus impelled by the same spring their movements may be wholly independent of one another, the train of wheel on running all the time that a message is being sent, while the other train is permitted to move only after the local circuit has been opened beyond the predetermined limit of time, as before described.

As the detent-arm g is released while the detcnt-motor is still running and the detentarm '11 advancing from its normal position against the pin 2?, the said arm "A is provided with the second stop g which arrests the detent while the said arm 11 is in advanced position, thus preventing the said arm g from turning more than once. As the pressure of out of engagement with the wheel 19, permitting the retractor-arm 11 to be returned by the spring 2' to its normal position,and the whe l 19 to be returned by spring p to its forward position with relation to the wheel m In such return movement of the arm i the detent projection g merely passes from the projection 9 into engagement with the projection g on said arm 2'.

hen the apparatus is employed for transmitting messages having current impulses of different time duration, as dot-and-dash messages, the following appliances are used in order to prevent interference between messages which mightoccur if two external transmitters were operating at the same time. Each main and local relay armature is provided with other pairs of contact-springs similar in construction an d mechanical mode of operation to those alreadydescribed, but having different electrical connections, said springs being placed either above or below those pre viously described on the contact-carriers c d, in this instance above, as shown in Fig. 5. For clearness the carriers 0 d are shown twice in the diagram Fig. 7, enabling the two sets of springs to be shown separate from one another. The spring a' on the main-relay armature co-operates with springs or contacts 00 on the local-relay armature, the said contact :6 being connected by a branch wire 30 with the corresponding main line near one terminal of the main relay, while the spring 00 is connected by Wire 31 32 with the main circuit near the other terminal of the main-relay armature, so that if the said wires 30 31 32 are all connected electrically they form a shunt around the main relay, which prevents the main battery from energizing the said magnet. The wires 3i 32 include a circuit-closer 'y 1 controlled by the motors by means which will be described, in such manner that they are closed each time that the main-relay armature is retracted in response to a message transmitted over its'circuit, and remain closed after the said main-relay armatures are again attracted for a period of time slightly greater than the longest closed impulse of any message. Thus when the main relay responds to a message in its own circuit, its armature being retracted while the corresponding localrelay armature remains attracted, as before described, the spring an on the main-relay armature will engage with the contact 00 carried by the loealrelay armature, which contact m merely acts mechanically as a stop to prevent spring as from making contact with the spring 00 so that the wires 30 31 82 will not be connected, and consequently the corresponding main relay will not be shunted. (See circuit No. 1, Fig. 7.) In those circuits, however, which are repeating from the one in which the message is originally transmitted the local-relay armatures are retracted before the main-relay armat urcs, as before described, and consequently the latter in its movement will cause the spring a to engage with the contact 00", carried by the local-relay armature, (see circuit No. 2, Fig. 7,) which will connect the wires and 32, and will thus close the shunt for the corresponding main relay, which therefore will not be energized when its main. circuit is closed at I) if by the corresponding local-relay armature, no matter what may be the condition of the main circuit externally to the repeater. The stop-spring is yielding laterally, so as to permit the local armature to respond in repeating the message. By this construction it will be seen that the instant one main relay responds to a message in its own circuit the corresponding impulse will be repeated into the other circuits by the means before described, and in such action the other main relays will become shunted and will be unable to respond to any message whateverin their main lines, either the one being repeated into the said main lines orone that might be begun by an external transmitter in one of said main lines, and they cannot possibly take the apparatus out of: control of the circuit which is the first to respond to its external transmitter.

The purpose of the circuit-closer 1 1 is to open the shunt for the main-relay armature, and thus restore it to working condition after the message has been completed in the line that is first operating.

The circuit-closer y y is operated by the following mechanism. (Best shown in Fig. 2.) The members y of the several circuit-closers corresponding to the several main circuits are supported on a stationary cross-bar, which maybe the same that supports the stationary members of the circuit-closers g, before described, while the members 11 are supported on a carrier 11/, supported on a rock-shaft y", and provided with an arm 1 connected with a pawl 1 which is connected by a link or arm 1/ with the armature-lever w. of the motorcontrolling magnet 11?. The pawl 3 co-operates with a toothed wheel 1 carried by the arbor of one of the wheels, as 011", of the detent-controlling train, and the connection between the said pawl and the armature through the link 7 is such that when the armature is attracted the pawl is engaged with the toothed wheel, which tends to move the pawl in the direction of the arrow thereon, and through the connection of the said pawl with the lever y and contact-carrier 7 tends to move the contact 1 away from the contact 'y. WV hen, however, the armature is retracted, the pawl 3 is disengaged from the toothed wheel 1 and is free to move in the direction reverse of the arrow on it, and the contactcarrier for its supporting-lever is acted upon by a spring y", which at these times moves the contacts qf over onto the contacts 3 The contacts a 11 engage with a sliding movement, and in thus connecting them or closing the circuit between them the contacts 1 slide a short distance over the contacts y, requiring a corresponding length of movement of the carrier 1 in the reverse direction before the said contacts are separated. This reverse movement is produced by the action of the toothed wheel upon the pawl y, as before described, and takes place only while the armature n remains attracted, and the speed of movement of the wheel 1 is such thatit requires a longer time for such movement to cause the separation of the contacts 3 1 than the time occupied by any closed impulse in a message, so that after the message is once hegun upon any of the circuits the contacts 11 1 will all be closed and will remain closed until the message is completed and the circuit in which it was begun is restored to its normal closed condition, causing the magnet 17. to remain energized.

The contact-carrier for the contacts g is provided with the detent-stop u to engage with the scape-wheel of the detent-controllin g motor, and arrests the same a short time after the magnet n" is restored to its normal energized condition, it being understood that the movement of the detent toward the scapewheel, that takes place during the comparatively short closure of the circuit of the magnet n forming the part of a message, is not sufficient to bring it into engagement with the scape-wheel, so that the detent-train continues running uninterruptedly during the transmission of a message.

It may be a convenience at any time to know which main circuit is operating, or in case one of the circuits is disabled to show at a glance which one it is. This is accomplished by an indicator disk or target, (shown inedge view at a, Fig. 1,) being mounted on a shaft 10 acted upon by a spring 103, (see Fig. 5,) tending to turn the said disk in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1. The shaft to is provided with a detent projection 10', engaging with co-operating detent projections u on springs carried by the armature of the corresponding main relay. A pair of springs might be provided near the top of the contact-carrier c for the detent projectionsw"; but as the mechanical operation of one of them would be the same as that of the spring 00, and as such mechanical operation would notinterfere in any way withthe electricalfunctions of said spring the said projections are, as shown in this instance, carried one on the said spring as and the other on a spring 00, placed at the other side of the contact-carriero. \Vhen the said springs x 00 remain in normal position on the carrier 0, the projections n are sufficiently close together to prevent the projection of from passing between them, so that the main-relay armature may play back and forth without permitting the projection u to escape and the target-shaft to turn on its axis, this being the case with those relays which are in the repeating-circuits as they respond to the first action of their circuitclosers b" I) without havin their spring :2; engaged by the projection 00 At the main rclay. which is responding to an external transmitter, however, the springs a; as are pried apart, as before stated, so that when in the movement of the main armature the projection carried by the spring at" moves far enough to release the projection to the one carried by the spring cc is prevented by the st-opspring m from moving far enough to engage said projection tr, which is consequently released, permitting the shaft (Z and target it to turn quarter around, so as to indicate by its changed position which line has been operated. After it has been observed which circuithas been operated the target may be turned back to normal position, and the spring :10" then yields, so as to permit the projection to to pass the projection 10, carried by the said spring 00', without attracting the armature away from the poles of the magnet.

The invention herein described is not limitcd to the specific construction and arrangement of the various instrumentalities, as they can be varied widely without departing from the invention.

In repeaters of this general character, as heretofore most commonly constructed, the main-relay arinatures in repeating-circuits have been locked or mechanically held inoperative while the message is being repeated, to prevent interference if a second message should be begun in their own circuits, and in some cases they have been shunted or cut out of circuit by mechanism called into operation when a message is begun on one of the cir-' cuits andis being repeated into the others. All such contrivances require a relatively large expenditure of time in the action of a repeater, while by the present invention, in which circuit-changers, as 0 c 6 f, and a: w, are operated by the movement of one armature, but are controlled as to their effect on the circuits connected with them by the relative position of another armature at the moment when the actuating-armature moves, the circuit changes can be made as rapid as a relay can be made to respond, and consequently any messages that can be transmitted into one circuit from another by a relay can be repeated from any one main circuit into all other main circuits by the apparatus herein shown and described. There are also other important advantages in the construction and mode of operation embodied in the present apparatus, in which the movement of the main-relay armature is not obstructed or prevented, but is caused to produce different effects, according to the position of an engaging port-ion that is shifted by the local relay armature. These advantages relate especially to.the operation of restoring the apparatus tp working condition latter is repaired.

when oncol the circuits becomes disabled, as has been hcreinbefore described, the retraction of the local-relay armature pcrn'ntting the corresponding local-circuit closer e to be closed without requiring any movement or change of condition of the main-relay armature, although leaving the said main-relay arn'iature in perfect freedom to come under control of its main circuit the moment the The main novelty of the mode of operation of this part of the apparatus is that the main relays are all permitted to be retracted upon the breaking of their circuits; but such retraction produces a different effect upon the local circuit controlled by them according as the shifting engaging device fis in one or the other position under the in fluence of the local relay when the main- 1 relay armature is moved. In order to show that this result does not depend upon the spe citlc construction of the contrivances already described, a modification is represented in Fig.

6, in which substantially the same operations are performed in substantially the same manner, but by somewhat different mechanism. In this construction contact-springs are used correspon ding exactly in their electrical functions to the springs 2, e f, {I}, and or, already described, and said springs are marked, respectively, e c f 00 m The said springs, however, instead of being carried by the armatures, are mounted on suitable stationary supports, and the armature lever CL 'Of the main relay is provided with a contact-actuator a pivoted in the end of said lever (4 and extended between the ends of the springs (2 00, and being provided with shoulders e e for co-operating with the said springs, as will be described. The said spring-actuator rests against the arm (1 connected with the armature of the local relay in such position that when the said local-relay armature is attracted the contact-actuator 052 is in position for its shoulder (W. to engage with the spring c while its shoulder a will pass by the end of the spring as without engaging it. Consequently if the main-relay aririature is retracted while the local-relay armature is attracted, as takes place when the message is being transmitted originally in the main circuit, exactly the same effect is produced as represented in circuit No. 1, Fig. 7that is, the retractive movement of the main-relay armature separates the springs e e and opens the local circuit, and at the same time connects the springs c f and thus closes the local branch 5 6 for its own local relay. The springs should be so ad usted that the spring c will make contact with the spring f before it is separated from the spring 6*.

If, however, the local-relay armature is retracted while the main-relay armature remains attracted, (the condition of circuit No. 2, Fig. 7,) the projection (1 0f the local-relay armature will have shifted the contact-actuator e so that when the main-relay armature is immcdiatel y afterward retracted in re- IIO sponse to the break at I)" U, prod uccd by the retraction of the local-relay armature, the said actuator c will be in such position that its shoulder 0 will clear the spring 6, which will consequently remain in contact with the spring 6 and the shoulder e will engage the spring 00 and press it into contact with the spring so", thereby closing the shunt 3O 31 32 for the main-relay magnet, which will therefore remain in retracted position, as before.

described, until its shunt is broken at y y at the completion of the message. Thepressure between the shoulder (L23 and the spring a: is such that the contact-actuator a will not move when the local-relay armature is again attracted in the further transmission of the message, and the said shoulder a may be slightly' undercut, if required, as shown, in order to effect this result.

The device a of Fig. 6 or the projectionf of Fig. 5 may thus be regarded as a shifting con tact-actuator, the actuation of the contacts being produced by the movement of the mainrelay armature, but being made effective only by the said shifting contact-actuator, which is shifted or controlled as to its effect upon the contacts by the local relay, so that it requires the conjoint action of the main-relay armature and the local-relay armature to produce the desired action upon the contacts 0 e of the local-circuit closer.

I claim 1. A repeating apparatuscomprising two or more main relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, combined with local relays, one corresponding to each main relay, all said local relays being included in the same local circuit, circuit-controllers in said local circuit operated by each main-relay armature, and a shifting contact-actuator controlled by each local-relay armature cooperating with the contacts of the circuit-controller operated by the corresponding mainrelay armature without obstructing the movement of main-relay armature, whereby the said movementproduces different effects upon the said circuit-controller, according to the position of the local-relay armature and contact actuator controlled thereby, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of two or more main relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, with corresponding local recontacts operated byythe main-relay arma tures without obstructing the movement of said main-relay armatures, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of two or more mam relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, with corresponding local reof battery corresponding to each local relay and a branch including the corresponding section of battery and the corresponding local-relay magnet, circuit-controllers for the branches corresponding to the said local relays, and an actuating-motor therefor, and a detent for said motor controlled by the said mainrelay armature, substantially as described.

5. The combination of two or more main relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, with corresponding local relays, all included in a single circuit, a section of battery corresponding to each local relay and a branch including the corresponding section of battery and the corresponding 10- cal-relay magnet, circuit-controllers for the branches corresponding to the said local relays, and an actuating'motor therefor, a detent for said motor, and an electro-magnet controlling the operation of said detent in a circuit controlled by the said main-relay armature, substantially as described.

0. The combination of tWo or more main relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, with corresponding local relays, all included in a single circuit, a section of battery corresponding to each local relay and a branch including the corresponding section of battery and the corresponding 10- cal-relay magnet, circuit-controllers for the branches corresponding to the said local relays and an actuating-motor therefor, a detent for said motor, and detent-motor having a timed engagement with the movable detent member, substantially as described.

7. A repeating apparatus comprising two or more main relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, combined with local relays, one corresponding to each main relay, all said local relays being included in the same local circuit, circuit-controllers in said local circuit operated by each mainrclay armature and an engaging portion controlled by each local-relay armature, coopcrating with the circuit-controller operated by the corresponding main-relay armature, a visur-mlindicator corresponding to each main circuit, a detent therefor connected and mov- ICO TIO

able with the main-relay armature, and a detent-actuator connected and movable with the local-relay armature, whereby the movement of the main-relay armature releases the indi cator when the local-relay armature is in one position, but not when said local-relay armature is in the other position when said movement of the main-relay armature takes place, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the main-relay magnet and armature with a corresponding localrelay magnet and armature controlling the circuit of the said main relay, acircuit-closer carried bythe main-relay armature, comprising a pair of contact-springs normally held in one condition by the elasticity of said springs, and an engaging projection for one of "said contact springs carried by the local-relay armature and movable thereby into and out of position to engage the contact-spring carried by the main-relay armature, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

0. The combination of two or more main relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, with corresponding local relays, all included in a single circuit, a section of battery corresponding to each local relay and a branch including the corresponding section of battery and the corresponding 10- cal-relay magnet, and circuit-closers for the branches corresponding to the said local relays and their corresponding battery-sections, said circuit-controllers being operated by said main-relay armatures', and shifting contactactuators operated by the local-relay armatures without obstruct-ing the movement of the main-relay armatures, substantially as and for the purpose described.

10. The combination of two or more main relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, with corresponding local relays, all ineluded in a single circuit, a section of battery corresponding to each local relay and a branch including the corresponding section of battery and the corresponding localrelay magnet, circuit-controllers in the main circuits operated by the armatures of the local relays and circuit-closers forthe branches corresponding to the said local relays and their corresponding battery-sections, said circuit-controllers being operated by said mainrelay armatures, and shifting contact-actuators operated by the local-relay arm atures cooperating therewith, substantially as and for the purpose described.

11. In a repeating apparatus, a main relay and armature and two circuitcontrollers adapted to be operated by it, a second relay and armature and a shifting contact-actuator controlled thereby that co-operates with said circuit controllers without obstructing the movement of the main-relay armature, whereby when the armature of the second electromagnet is in one position when the main re lay is moved one of said controllers is operated and when in the other position the other of said circuit-controllers is operated, sub stantially as described.

12. A repeating apparatus comprising two or more main relays, each in a main circuit disconnected from the others, and local relays, one corresponding to each main relay in a local circuit, circuit-controllers in said local circuit operated one by each mai -i"elay armature, and shifting contact-actuators operated by the said local-relay armatures, controlling the operation of said circuit-closers without obstructing the movement of the main-relay armatures, substantially as described.

13. A repeating apparatus comprising a number of main relays, each in a main circuit independent of the others, and a number of corresponding local relays, combined with branches of said main circuits, each constituting when closed a shunt for the corresponding main relay, and a circuit-closer in said branch operated by said main and local relay armatures, substantially as described.

14. A repeating apparatus comprising a number of main relays, each in a main circuit independent of the others, and a number of corresponding local relays, combined with branches of said main circuits, each constituting when closed a shunt for the corresponding main relay, a circuit-closer in said branch operated by said main and local relay armatures, and a second circuit-closer in said branch operated by a time-motor, substantially as and for the purpose described.

15. A repeating apparatus comprising a number of main relays, each in a main circuit independent of the others, and a number of corresponding local relays, combined with branches of said main circuits, each constituting when closed a shunt for the corresponding main relay, a circuit-closer in said branch operated by said main and local relay armatures, a second circuit closer in said branch operated by a time-motor, and an electro-magnet and circuit therefor controlled by said main-relay armature, governing the operation of said time-motor, substantially as dc scribed.

In.testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK W'.v COLE.

\Vitnesses:

J os. P. LIVERMORE, JAS. J. MALONEY. 

